A MAN who used a knife on his partner has been jailed for 12 months to "get him away from the bottle and clear his brain".

Damien Peter Oldfield, 47, injured the woman, including cutting her finger and the back of her scalp, said Rachael Landin, prosecuting.

When the woman told staff at the Rainbow Centre in Scarborough about what had happened to her she was "visibly shaking and distressed", said the barrister.

Oldfield, of Northstead Flats, Scarborough, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm and was jailed for nine months.

"This was a nasty assault," the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told him.

"You were in drink.

"I think you need a period in prison to get you away from the bottle to clear your brain."

York Crown Court heard that Oldfield has previous convictions related to drink, including violence and breaching a domestic violence protection order aimed at protecting the woman.

"Alcohol is his main problem," said defence barrister Nick Peacock, adding that Oldfield would face more problems in the future if he didn't tackle it.

Ms Landin said the woman didn't co-operate with the prosecution in preparing the case, other than providing access to her medical records.